Lost Episode: Kelly's Hero rewrite
by mrs.morris
Summary: Season 5. This story takes place after Student Teacher Week, but before Senior Prom. Kelly gets a new job, but her boss makes her feel uncomfortable. Is there anyone who will save her?
1. Scene1: Career Change

_This is a rewrite of the novel Kelly's Hero by Beth Cruise. The premise of the story was great, but the book had tons of continuity errors and things in general I wanted to change. The main idea of the novel is about Kelly overcoming sexual harassment in the workplace with Zack's help. Some of the continuity errors in the novel are Kelly has never been a waitress before which makes her working at the Max nonexistent. She and Zack date on and off throughout their senior year, which is ok, but the stories fit nowhere with the episodes. Anyway, I'm going to use the main idea and write the story to fit into the tv series. On that note, this story takes place during the gang's senior year after Student Teacher Week and before Senior Prom._

It was Friday evening. The Max had only its usual customers. Kelly collected the dirty dishes from one of the circular tables, and counted the tip money. It didn't take long to count—it was a fifty cent tip. Either her waitressing skills were slipping or the customers were.

Kelly needed money, and her waitressing job at the Max wasn't cutting it anymore. If she wanted to be able to afford to even attend a community college, she was going to have to get another job. She pulled the weekly newspaper she'd brought from home out of her apron, and plopped down in her favorite booth at the Max. As she searched through the wanted ads in the newspaper, Slater strolled through the door.

"Hey, Kelly! What's up?" he asked pulling up a chair. Even though the booth was empty, he preferred his usual spot.

"Just job searching," Kelly said flatly as she laid the paper down.

"You want another job?" he asked shocked. "You already gave up softball and swimming to work more hours here! Are you going to drop cheerleading and volleyball too?" It had been a hard decision, but Kelly decided she needed to work more than play, and the softball and swim teams had suffered tremendously because of it. It took a lot of cheering up after the decision, but Kelly had bounced back. Slater couldn't believe she might be dropping volleyball and cheerleading to get a second job-- she might never recover.

"Well, no. I wouldn't work _another_ job," she replied lacing her fingers together. "I'm looking for a _different_ job."

Zack slid into the booth across from Kelly overhearing her last sentence. "A different job? You mean you're giving up being a waitress? I thought you liked it."

"I do like it. Being a waitress has its perks. I mean, I get to hang out with you guys all of the time."

"And we get to see you in that uniform all of the time," Zack smiled at her.

"Yeah,"Slater added flashing a dimpled smile only to lose it once he felt a smack from behind. Slater rubbed the back of his head and frowned. He turned his head and found Jessie grinning smugly down at him and hugging her books to her chest.

"Guys, I'm being serious," Kelly told them.

"So are we," Zack replied winking at her and flashing his trademark smile.

Kelly shook her head with a half smile across her lips. Lately, Zack had been hitting on her like crazy. After they broke up, he had hardly complimented her. After Student Teacher Week, things had changed. She had to admit she liked knowing he was still attracted to her, but she didn't want to read into his words too much. After all, he was Zack Morris. Flirting was like breathing.

"When I first started, I was making lots of money in tips on top of my paycheck. Now, I'm lucky if I get a tip telling me not to blow dry my hair in the bath tub," she shrugged her shoulders.

"Is it really that bad?" Jessie asked her. Kelly pulled the two quarters out of her apron pocket and put them on the table. Jessie raised her eyebrows, and Slater whistled through his teeth.

"I think I've lost my touch," she sighed as she put her head in her hands.

"No way, Kelly. You still do a great job. It's just your waiting on a bunch of broke high school students," Zack assured her.

"Thanks, Zack. But I'll still have to find a better paying job if I want to afford college next year."

"Well, we'll keep our ears open for job openings," Jessie comforted.

Kelly nodded. She hoped she would hear of something soon. She noticed Zack had scooted the paper toward him and was now browsing the help wanted ads.

"I'm meeting Lisa and Screech at the movies," Jessie informed them. "Do you guys want to come along?"

"I'd better not," Kelly replied.

"I'm sorry, Kelly. I wasn't thinking…" Jessie trailed off.

"Yeah, so what else is new?" Slater rolled his eyes, then, covered the back of his head quickly to protect it from being smacked again.

"Listen to this!" Zack interrupted. "Waitress or waiter needed at the Palisades Country Club. Looking for someone friendly, experienced, and willing to work evenings and weekends."

"That sounds perfect!" Kelly exclaimed.

"Aren't Lisa and her parents members there?" Jessie asked. "Maybe they could put in a recommendation for you."

Zack tore out the ad and handed it to Kelly. "You would meet all the requirements, and if Lisa's parents put in a good word, that'll make your chances even higher. Plus, no more fifty cent tips. It'd be more like five dollars."

"Yeah, and that would be the cheapskates." Slater told her grinning.

Kelly grabbed Zack's hand and squeezed. "I'll go first thing in the morning and apply! Thanks for finding this Zack! "

"You're welcome," he smiled back locking his hazel eyes with Kelly's sparkling blue ones. Jessie watched as he rubbed his now empty palm with his thumb. She looked at Slater to see if he saw the same thing.

Slater was oblivious. He jumped out of his chair and stood beside of Jessie. "How about that movie, mamma?" he asked.

"Oh, right," Jessie stopped observing Zack's strange behavior and looked at Slater, "We'd better get going. Are you coming Zack?"

"Sure. Let's go, Kelly!" He slid out of the booth and motioned for her.

"Zack, I already said I wasn't going," she reminded him.

"It's my treat in celebration for your career change," he grinned.

She shook her head, but got up anyway, knowing that he wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Besides, you can pay me back when you start making five dollar tips!" he kidded her. She nudged him with her elbow. He laughed as she looped her arm in his as they headed out the door.


	2. Scene 2: Fashion Emergency

Kelly's Hero

The next morning, Kelly woke up bright and early. She pulled some shirts, pants, and dresses out of her closet trying to mix and match the perfect outfit, but was having no luck. She had to look friendly, but also sophisticated. This was a country club after all. She needed fashion help. She needed Lisa.

She plopped down on her bed and reached for her phone on the nightstand. She dialed Lisa's number quickly, and then waited for an answer.

"Hello," Lisa's groggy voice greeted her.

"Hey, Lisa, I need your help," Kelly told her quickly.

"Girl, it is seven o'clock on a Saturday morning. This had better be an emergency," Lisa replied.

"I can't find anything to wear," Kelly whined.

"Oh, so it's a fashion emergency," Lisa's voice brightened. "What is the outfit for?"

"For the country club, I'm going to apply for the job this morning," Kelly explained twirling the phone cord.

"Hmmm… wear your white jeans with that navy blouse you never wear. Pair it with your navy tennis shoes and your gold earrings. Oh, and pull your hair back loosely. The nautical theme is in at the country club, plus you'll look sophisticated but not over done," Lisa stated matter of factly.

"Thanks, Lisa. Do your parents mind putting in a good word for me?"

"They would love to. Oh, I just remembered. There is a new manager at the country club—major hunk alert. He is a sophomore at UCLA, but he commutes so he works part time. Anyway, the owners of the club are his parents. He has looks and money. If you get the job, you'll be working under him. He's over all the waitresses."

Kelly fell back on her bed as she listened to Lisa babble. "Lisa, I vowed to never date another UCLA student--especially ones who manage restaurants," she interrupted. "Underneath their charming, handsome exterior lies a slime ball."

"You sound like Jessie," Lisa giggled. "But I'll bet you'll change your mind once you see this guy," Lisa sang.

"Lisa, I'm not looking for love. I'm looking for money."

"Now you sound like me," Lisa told her.

Kelly laughed. "Well, I've got to get down to the country club. I want to be the first to apply so I'll have a better chance."

"Girl, you've got this in the bag," Lisa assured her, "Speaking of bags, I think you should carry your white clutch!"


	3. Scene 3: Once You Go Country Club

Zack had offered to drive Kelly to the country club not realizing he'd have to get up at seven thirty to do it. Even though his Saturday mornings were usually spent sleeping, he didn't mind helping Kelly out. He wasn't even bummed when they arrived at eight only to find out the restaurant didn't open until eight thirty. In fact, he was enjoying himself.

He and Kelly had decided to explore for a while until the restaurant opened. Even though he had never been to the club before, he pretended to be a tour guide. Kelly would giggle and try to come up with questions that Zack would try to answer. When it got close to eight thirty, they headed back to the restaurant and relaxed on a park bench.

"I could get used to a place like this. Tennis courts, swimming pools, a golf course, an upscale restaurant—," Zack told her leaning back and resting his arm on the back of the bench.

"Rich girls," Kelly joked lightly smacking his leg.

Zack smiled at her. "Nah, I learned my lesson about rich girls through Screech and Robin."

Kelly sat back against the bench and her hair brushed his arm. Zack started to move it, then, decided to leave it there. He noticed her hair smelled like strawberries which caused him to lean toward her a bit. She didn't notice and kept her gaze straight ahead.

"You know, this place reminds me a lot of Palm Springs," she told him, "Who knew there was a place this nice in Palisades?"

Zack nodded in agreement. The memories of Palm Springs flooded his mind. Yeah, this place did remind him a lot of Palm Spring-- especially now that he was sitting here close to Kelly. He began to drift off remembering their pool side kiss...

Suddenly, he shook his head and glanced down at his watch. It was eight twenty-- eight. He looked back at the restaurant door and saw a figure unlocking the door. "Well, it looks like it's time for the restaurant to open. I saw someone unlocking the door."

Kelly stood up and paced in front of the bench. She wrung her hands nervously. "Is this outfit too much? I mean, do I look ok?" she asked in a high pitched voice.

Zack sat up and took her hand. "Kelly, calm down. You look great. Why are you so nervous? It's just a waitressing job."

Kelly sighed. "I don't know. It's just this place is so nice and these people are so rich and I'm…" her voice trailed off.

"Perfect for this job," Zack assured her standing up. He placed his hands on her shoulders. She was looking down at the ground. He bent down a little and tried to peek into her eyes. A slight smile formed across Kelly's lips when he caught her gaze. He smiled back at her and lifted her chin up with his finger. "You have nothing to worry about," he told her sincerely.

"You're right," she agreed softly. She lifted her head and began to head toward the door. Then, she spun around quickly and gave him a pleading look, "But will you walk me to the door?"

Zack chuckled, took her hand, and led the way.

Now, he waited outside the country club patiently. He was leaning against a painted white brick wall, with one hand in his pocket. As members entered, he would give a slight wave. The restaurant of the country club was located right behind the pool. A few people were lounging around poolside, but not many. However, the restaurant was full of people. As he peeked through the glass doors, he saw Kelly talking to an older waitress. The waitress was handing Kelly an application and telling her something. Kelly took the application over to a table and began filling it out.

Suddenly, a tall, dark haired college guy with a chiseled jaw, interrupted his thoughts.

"Excuse me, please," the guy said as he reached his hand out to Zack. Zack shook his hand firmly. "Are you a member here?" he asked.

Zack's initial reaction was to be rude to this Jeff look alike. However, the guy was so nice to him, he began to like him against his will. "No, I'm with a friend. She's applying for a job here," Zack politely informed him.

"I see. I'm new to the club, and I'm just trying to get acquainted with everyone" the stranger told Zack.

"So you're a new member?" Zack asked.

"No, I'm a new manager," he smiled at Zack. "I'm the new manager of this restaurant to be precise."

Zack's stomach dropped a little at the thought of Kelly working long hours and weekends with this sparkling toothed, rich guy. He quickly forgot about himself and tried to help Kelly out. "What a coincidence! My friend is applying for a job at this restaurant!" He told the manager with exaggerated enthusiasm. "Might I add that my friend is a perfect fit for this job? She is very friendly, has almost two years of waitress experience, and can work evenings and weekends!"

The manager nodded thoughtfully. "It does sound like she is a perfect match." He hesitated for a moment, "Is she easy on the eyes?" When he saw Zack's puzzled look, he added, "At the country club, appearance place a huge role. The people here pay for an inviting environment. A pretty waitress helps create that environment."

The answer made sense to Zack. "Yeah, she's gorgeous. See for yourself," he pointed through the glass door.

Kelly was filling out her application oblivious that she was being watched. She crossed her legs and brushed her hair off her shoulder. The manager nodded in approval. "You're right. She's perfect."

"So, does she have the job?" Zack asked eagerly.

"Hold it, man. I haven't even talked to her yet. But, it does look like she has a great shot."

"Well, I can't ask for more than that," Zack offered his hand again. The manager gave him a quick five and headed through the door. Zack watched as he greeted Kelly with a hand shake. She handed her application to the manager who scanned through it quickly. Then, he motioned for her to follow him. Zack relaxed himself against the wall again fairly sure he'd be seeing a lot more of this place.


	4. Scene 4: Meet Connor Black

Kelly followed the young man back to his office. The hallway was short and dimly lit causing it to look dark even though the sun was shining outside. "I'm sorry, I don't think I caught your name," she asked making conversation.

"How thoughtless of me," the young man, turned to her and put one hand on his chest. "My name is Connor Black."

They reached his office door. Mr. Black opened the door and allowed Kelly to enter first, then closed the door behind them. Kelly turned at the sound of the closing door wondering if closing it was necessary.

Mr. Black, noticing her questioning expression, said, "We have lots of nosy waitresses here. I don't want them to overhear anything. They'd have the whole country club talking." He laughed and pulled out a chair for her in front of his desk.

Kelly sat down, but still wondered how anyone could over hear them all the way back here even with the door open. She scooted her chair up to the desk and sat patiently with her hands folded in her lap watching as Mr. Black read over her application.

Mr. Black paced the floor behind his desk reading, then, laid it down on his desk. "Well, it looks like you meet all the qualifications. There's just one more thing," he stopped and pulled out a tape measure. "I'm going to need your measurements."

Kelly tilted her head sideways in confusion and stiffened a bit.

"For the uniform," Mr. Black assured her, "All of the waitresses wear one, and I can't order yours until I know what size you are."

"Oh," Kelly said with some relief. She giggled a little in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Mr. Black. I'm just a little nervous."

"I could tell," he smiled charmingly at her. "I want you to feel comfortable here, Miss Kapowski. Think of me as your friend, not as your boss. Please, call me Connor."

"Yes, Mr. Bl—I mean Connor," Kelly sat a little more relaxed in her chair.

"Now, I still need your measurements," he handed her the tape measure. "You go down the hall and find Monica. She'll help you get sized, then, come back to me and I'll put in your uniform order."

After Kelly was sized, she went back to Connor's office. He was sitting as his desk waiting for her. Kelly gave him a slip of paper that had all the information he needed. "Monica even wrote down what the size will be."

"Great," Connor replied, "Your uniform should be in by Thursday. I look forward to working with you, Kelly." She reached out her hand for a hand shake, but Connor kissed it lightly.

Kelly blushed and turned to the door. She walked quickly down the hallway with an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She wasn't sure how to take Connor's charm. She wanted her relationship with him to be professional, but it already felt awkward. Connor was trying too hard to make her feel comfortable.

She met Zack outside. He was still waiting against the wall of the building, but now he was chatting with two pretty girls in bathing suits. When the girls saw Kelly, they lowered their sunglasses and peered at her.

"Hey, Kelly," Zack greeted her. He stood up straight and came closer to her leaving the two girls behind. They trailed after him. "Did you get the job?" he asked putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Yeah," Kelly smiled.

"That's great!" Zack cheered.

"Ahem," one of the girls interrupted. She tapped on Zack's shoulder. "Is this your _girlfriend_?" she asked with clear disapproval in her voice.

Zack was caught off guard by the red headed girl. His voiced cracked as he introduced Kelly, "This is my friend, Kelly. She just applied for a job here."

The blond girl snickered and the red headed girl smirked, "I see."

Kelly felt her cheeks flush. Realizing she'd have to wait on such snobs made her feel even more wary of her new job.

"Kelly, this is Victoria," he pointed to the red head, then motioned to the blond, "and Jillian. They come here regularly. You'll probably be seeing a lot more of them," Zack informed.

"Great!" Kelly forced a smile.

"I hope we'll see more of you, Zacky," Victoria cooed tugging at Zack's arm.

Kelly tried not to gag.

"Well," Zack began, but he was interrupted by Kelly who pulled his other arm.

"It was very nice meeting you girls, but we'd better be going now," she told them as she led Zack back to the car.

"What's the rush? You could have gotten major tips from those girls!" Zack told her.

"No, Zack, YOU could've gotten major tips from those girls. I would've only gotten snubbed," she frowned and crossed her arms. "I don't want their snooty money anyway."

"Kelly, what's wrong?" Zack asked concerned.

Kelly sighed. She couldn't tell him how embarrassed she was about being poor. She couldn't tell him how she felt uncomfortable around her new boss. She couldn't tell him she was already having second thoughts about her new job. If she couldn't tell him all of those things, she definitely couldn't tell him that seeing him talking to two beautiful, rich girls made her jealous. "I'm sorry. I'm just tired."

Zack opened the passenger door and stared at her not quite believing her words. As he closed it, he couldn't help wondering how such a terrific morning turned sour so fast.

Zack thought hard on the drive home about what could have upset Kelly so much. She had gotten the job just like she wanted. Maybe it was Victoria and Jillian. Now that he thought about it, they were pretty snobby girls. He hadn't even been interested in them, they had approached him. In fact, all that had been on his mind was Kelly. She'd never believe that though.

"Look, Kelly. I'm sorry if Victoria and Jillian embarrassed you. I just thought getting to know some of your customers might help you earn bigger tips," he apologized sincerely.

"I thought you were staying away from rich girls," Kelly whispered.

"What did you say?" he asked. He thought he heard something but wasn't sure.

"It's ok, Zack. I overreacted. I mean, in a rich country club, you're bound to run into a snob,"

"Or twenty," Zack joked. Then, his voice became more serious. "Kelly, don't let a few brats ruin your day. This job will pay big bucks in tips which you need for college. Most of the customers will like you. It's too hard not to. Besides, your boss seemed to like you and that's always a good thing."

"Yeah," Kelly agreed. Then, she smiled at him.

"Much better," Zack told her. Then, they both laughed.


	5. Scene 5: I'm the Boss

The next day, Kelly got a call from the Country Club restaurant. A uniform was there for her and she could begin work the next day. She should've been excited, but she felt a little uneasy. She remembered what Zack had said, this job was to earn money for college. She had to get past her nerves.

This time, she took her parents car. When she arrived at the country club, the dinner crowd hadn't arrived yet, so the restaurant was almost empty. She walked back to Connor's office where he greeted her from his desk.

"Kelly, it's good to see you," he stood up and held out his hand. Kelly was hesitant at first since he had kissed her hand last time, but decided she would be polite. She shook his hand quickly then pulled away.

Connor walked over to a closet and pulled out a uniform. He dangled the hanger on his hand. "It turned out that we had an extra uniform in the closet all along. I didn't have to order one for you after all."

Kelly reached for the hanger, but he pulled it away.

"I'll walk you down to the changing room." He walked her down the hallway about three doors from his office. He pulled out a key and unlocked the door. "We'll keep your uniform here, and you can change into it when you arrive. That'll save you from getting wrinkled on your way to work." He grinned at her.

Kelly nodded and entered the room. This time he let her have her uniform. He flipped on the lights for her and closed the door. She locked the door quickly and changed into her uniform.

The uniform fit very snugly. She wondered if it was even the right size. The black skirt was too tight and too short. The white blouse was snug but at least it was the right length. "Oh well, it will have to do for now. I'll have to ask Connor to order a bigger one," she thought aloud.

Just then, a knock came. "Kelly, how does it fit?" Connor asked.

"It's a little small," she replied tugging at her skirt.

"Well, come on out, and I'll take a look," he told her.

Suddenly, Kelly felt embarrassed. She didn't want Connor to see her in this uniform. She was too self conscious. "I don't know," she told him. "I think you need to order a bigger size."

He ignored her answer and knocked louder this time. She opened the door.

Connor looked her over. "Step on out," he said. He rubbed his hand on his chin in thought. He let out a low whistle which caused Kelly to blush. She tried to adjust the blouse and skirt to feel more comfortable. "It'll have to do for now, but I'll see about ordering a new one."

"Thanks," Kelly replied quietly.

"Now, down to business," he spoke firmly. "Let's go back to my office." He motioned forward, and let her lead the way. When they got to the door, he guided her through the door placing his hand on her back. Then, he shut the door.

"First order of business," he said making the way to his chair, "Since you have so much experience, I'll let you tackle the busiest section. You'll make more tips that way, which is why, I'm guessing, you took this job in the first place. You need the money don't you?"

Kelly nodded.

"Second, I'll train you today so you can get a feel of what your normal duties will be," he stood up and pushed his seat under. Then, he walked behind her and put his hands on her chair. "Last of all, I want us to feel comfortable with one another. Think of me as your friend. If you need anything, let me know," he touched a strand of her hair.

Kelly stood up from her seat and faced him. "Can we get started with the training now?" she asked quickly with an uncomfortable smile on her face.

"Right away," he stiffened. He led her to the main dining room.

"This is where you will be working. It isn't busy right now, but around five it fills up." He sat down in one of the chairs. "Let's do a trial run. Pretend I'm a customer."

"Alright," Kelly cleared her throat, "Welcome to the Country Club! Tonight our special is a Filet Mignon with your choice of side. Here is our menu," she smiled as she reached Connor a menu. He put his hand on hers.

"Very nice," he told her. "I think you've got the hang of it. Why don't you go ahead and have a seat?"

Kelly removed her hand from his and sat across from him. All of his touching was making her feel uneasy.

"So, the other day, when you were applying I ran into a friend of yours outside. Was he your boyfriend?"

"No, he's just a good friend," Kelly giggled nervously.

"Oh, I see. Do you have a boyfriend?" Connor asked tilting his head.

"No," she shook her head.

A sly smile came across Connor's face. Kelly could tell where he was going with the conversation so she jumped up from the table.

"Well, what else do I need to know?" she asked anxiously.

Connor got up from the table and continued to show her the rest of her duties and around the rest of the facility. Somehow, Kelly had managed to keep him on topic the entire time. She could tell he was slightly annoyed with her enthusiasm for the job more than him.

By the time he had oriented her with the place, the dining room began to fill up. Kelly jumped right in waiting on table after table. Zack had been right; most of the customers liked her. She liked most of them too. She met doctors, lawyers, CEO's, and wealthy inheritors. She made more tips than she ever imagined.

After picking up a twenty dollar tip, Kelly glanced over at Connor who had been supervising. She flashed a smile at him as he gave her a thumbs up. Then, he walked toward her. He got close to her ear, put his hand on her shoulder, and whispered, "When your shifts over, meet me back in my office and we'll discuss how you did tonight." Kelly nodded as he slid his hand off her shoulder and walked away.

"Looks like you and the manager are making nice," a familiar voice taunted. It was the same red haired girl that had been interested in Zack. She giggled and propped her head on her hand. "Now, if you're finished flirting, can I please get a drink."

"Sure," Kelly blushed. Why was red haired girl accusing her of flirting? She didn't do anything. Connor was the one who was always putting the moves on her. She took Victoria and her friend's order and stalked away.

When she got close to their table, she overheard Victoria talking to her friend, "Who is she trying to impress in that uniform? Could it get any tighter? I guess we know how she got the job."

Suddenly, Kelly felt self conscious. She had forgotten about her ill fitting uniform until now. No one else had commented until now. Should she defend herself by telling Victoria this was the only uniform the restaurant had? She silently put the drinks on the table and stalked away tugging on her skirt.

One long hour later, her shift was over. The restaurant was emptying out, and she collected the rest of her tip money. She remembered Connor had wanted to meet with her, so she walked back to his office.

"So, how was the first day? Did you make a lot of tips?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she smiled shyly sitting down.

"It'd be hard not to the way you look in that uniform," he walked over behind her. "I bet you are exhausted," he told her starting to massage her shoulders.

Kelly leaned forward in the chair to get away from him. Then, she tried to change the subject. "So, what did you need to meet with me about?" She crossed her arms and stood in front of his desk keeping the chair between them.

"Well, since you don't have a boyfriend, and you aren't working Friday night, I thought we could go out," he said with an edge in his voice.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Kelly replied nervously. "I mean, you're my boss."

Connor straightened up. By the look on his face, it was obvious to Kelly at that moment that Connor Black was not used to be turned down. She began to feel a little scared.

"Miss Kapowski," his voice echoed in the small room, "it's because I'm your boss that it _is_ a good idea. Maybe you should take the time to think about it before you make any hasty decisions." His icy stare made her shiver. Then, he calmly walked behind his desk, sat down, and began filling out paper work.

Kelly never turned to face him and didn't bother to wait for him to dismiss her. She knew their meeting was finished. She left the restaurant confused.

When Kelly arrived home, she was exhausted. She crawled into bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. She felt safe and secure for the first time that evening. Did Connor mean if she didn't go out with him he would fire her? He couldn't do that, could he? It was pretty evident he wasn't used to rejection. But she couldn't be the first girl who had ever turned him down. Besides she let him down gently. Tomorrow he would be over it. She hoped.


	6. Scene 6: The First Day is the Hardest

Zack was sitting on a table in health class, chatting to Jessie who was sitting at the table behind him, when Kelly scrambled in. Her hair was pulled into a messy ponytail and her clothes didn't match. A small smile formed on his lips. Somehow her disheveled appearance made her look even cuter.

She laid her books on the table next to Jessie, slid into her chair, and yawned. Jessie looked down at her eyebrows raised.

Kelly looked up at her, "I overslept."

Jessie chuckled, "So, I noticed."

"The first day at work is always the hardest," Zack joked.

"Zack, what do you know about work?" Jessie teased.

"Hey, I've worked. I just try not to as much as possible," he countered. He turned toward Kelly. "How was your first day, besides exhausting?"

"Fine," Kelly answered simply.

Jessie seemed satisfied with Kelly's answer, but Zack wasn't. He took a seat on the table in front of Kelly. "Did you make a lot of tips?"

"Yeah," she replied dully.

"That's great!" When he realized she wasn't excited he added, "That's what you wanted right?"

Kelly nodded. Then, she looked up at him and saw his confused expression. "I guess I'm just too tired to be excited."

"It must've been a hard day," Jessie observed.

"What made it even harder was my boss," Kelly slipped. She hadn't planned on talking about Connor, but couldn't avoid in now.

"Is he critical?" Jessie asked concerned.

"No, he's very… friendly," she described the best she could.

"Of course he is. He wants to make his new employee feel welcome," Zack told her.

"It's just that he's so friendly it makes me feel a little bit weird," she quietly replied. "He hits on me and wants to go out," she left out the part that he insinuated she'd lose her job if she didn't. She had probably misunderstood him.

"That just shows he's normal. You're hot Kelly! Guys are going hit on you and ask you out. I did," Zack chuckled.

Jessie rolled her eyes. "Let me translate Pig," she spoke solemnly as she sat down beside Kelly putting one hand on shoulder. "Guys find you attractive, so sometimes they show it in very… stupid ways," she shot Zack a teasing look. He mouthed her words mockingly. She continued smiling slightly, "When you don't feel the same way, it can feel awkward—especially if he's your boss. Just let him know you're not interested."

"Yeah, Kel, don't let that make your job miserable," Zack advised.

"You guys are right. It probably just feels weird because he's my boss," she smiled a little. "I'll just have to make it very clear that I don't feel the same." She felt much better now. She felt like she could go to work today with her head held high.

After school, Zack walked with Kelly to their lockers. She seemed a lot happier than she did this morning. "I'm glad to see you smiling again." He elbowed her softly.

"You and Jessie made me feel better," she smiled back, hugging her books to her chest. "Now, if I can just get Victoria kicked out of the club…" she made a devious face, then giggled.

Zack took her books out of her hands and put them into her locker he had just opened. "Um, about Victoria," he said quietly trailing off, "she called me last night." He put his hand on the locker and stared into it, not facing Kelly.

"And?" she asked curiously.

"She wanted to know if I wanted to have dinner Friday night," he faced her slowly unsure of how she'd react.

Kelly's face was tight. "You said yes." She looked down trying to hide her disappointment.

"Well, yeah," then, he added quickly, "but if it bothers you, I'll break it off. She wants to introduce me to her father. She said he needed an intern, and she thought I'd be perfect," he tried to explain.

Kelly was at a loss for words. On one hand, she was glad Zack had such a great opportunity, but on the other hand, it made her sick to think he'd be spending time with Victoria. All she could say was, "Yeah, that's fine."

"You're sure?" he asked unsure if he heard correctly.

"Yeah," she forced a smile to be convincing.

Zack leaned his head on the locker door. "Ok, but I'm not going to enjoy myself." He took her hand and gave her a lopsided grin.


	7. Scene 7: Kelly Keeps Quiet

That evening at work, Kelly changed quickly into her uniform. When she came out, Connor was waiting on her. The hall was dark and his face was half covered in shadows. Kelly jumped back in surprise.

"Mr. Black," she gasped.

"Connor," he replied, "Call me Connor. I wanted to apologize about how I acted yesterday. I think it would be best if we forgot all about it."

"Sure," Kelly agreed.

After her talk with Connor, Kelly was in a fantastic mood. She was relieved Connor had stopped trying to get her to go out with him and was satisfied with just being her boss. Her shift was going great too. As she was waiting on an older couple, she heard a familiar voice.

"Excuse me, Miss, but could we get a table for four, please?" the voice asked.

Kelly turned to find Zack grinning at her. Jessie, Slater, and Screech were standing behind him waving. A smile spread across her face. "Zack, what are you guys doing here?" she giggled.

"We came by to see how you were doing. Plus, it would be nice to eat something other than Max burgers," he chuckled.

"Well, here is a table for all of you," motioning to an empty table in the middle. Then, she paused, "Where's Lisa?" Kelly asked.

"Shopping," Jessie said condescendingly. "Why spend money on food when she can spend it on heels?"

"Well, I'm glad you guys are here," Kelly said cheerfully.

"Is it going better today?" Jessie asked taking a seat at the table as Slater pulled a chair out for her.

"Much better," Kelly beamed.

"Great!" Zack grinned giving her a hug. "Now, what do you recommend?" he asked sitting down at the table next to Screech.

"I'd like the snail platter," Screech said as he pointed to the menu.

The rest of the gang groaned disgusted.

"It's a delicacy!" he spoke out.

"Couldn't you be polite enough to call it escargot like everyone else?" Slater grumbled.

Kelly shook her head and laughed as she took the rest of their orders. She slipped back into the kitchen smiling as she gave the chef her order.

When she left the kitchen, Connor was waiting beside the door. "Hey," he greeted her quietly.

"Hi," she replied with a grin.

"So, do you hug all of your friends like that?" he asked.

Kelly gazed questioningly at him. She wasn't sure what he was referring to, then, she remembered that Zack had given her a hug. "They're my friends. I hug them all of the time," she replied shyly.

"We're friends," Connor whispered stepping closer to her.

Kelly took a step backward. "I'd better go take some more orders," she replied timidly. Why was Connor coming on to her again? She thought the matter had been settled. She walked quickly back to the gang's table. Her solemn expression caught Zack's attention.

"Are you ok, Kelly?' he asked concerned. Jessie, Screech, and Slater all stopped chatting and looked at Kelly.

"Yeah, I'm ok," she forced a grin. "I just goofed up an order," she lied. She didn't know why she did it. It wasn't like her at all to lie to her friends.

Just then, Connor walked up to the gang's table. "How is everything this evening?" he asked in a professional tone.

"Fantastic, thanks to this fine, young waitress!" Screech complimented. "She's definitely a keeper! She even knows the French word for snails!"

The rest of the gang sighed. Kelly put her hand over her brow to hide her face. Connor straightened his tie and nodded. Then, he pulled Kelly aside. "You need to start giving other tables attention. If your friends are causing a distraction, I'll have to move you. I can't have my waitresses making me look unprofessional," he demanded.

"Sure," she nodded. It wasn't like she hadn't waited on her other tables, but maybe she had been spending too much time at her friends' table.

As she turned to walk away, Connor added, "A word of advice, to keep this job my opinion of you matters a lot more than your friend's," he whispered. "Don't forget that."

Kelly wasn't sure how to react. She just turned and went back to work hardly making any stops at her friends' table. She told them she was too busy to chat anymore.

The gang finished eating about ten minutes before her shift was over. They were going to wait on her to get off work, but Kelly told them it would be best to go. She didn't explain that she was afraid she'd lose her job if they stuck around.

When her shift was over, she went back to change only to find Connor waiting in front of the locker room door spinning his keys on his finger. He waved his other hand at her.

"Hi," Kelly replied. She wondered if he would move out of her path. When he didn't, she took a step closer.

"Thanks for doing what I asked," he told her, "I just didn't want you saying anything to your friends we'd regret."

"What do you mean?" Kelly asked confused.

"You know, about us. I don't want people to get the wrong idea," he peered at her. "That's why I had you stop waiting on your friends. I don't want you to make me out as a creep. I just want to get to know you." He smiled. "So, have you considered my offer?"

"About going out?" Kelly asked. Her voice cracked a little. She really didn't want to have to go through this again. "I don't think so."

He crossed his arms and nodded. She could tell he was upset, but she didn't trust Connor as far as she could throw him. No way was she going on a date with him alone. It gave her the creeps enough to be at work with him after hours.

As he walked back to his office, Kelly changed quickly and left.


	8. Scene 8: Good Day Gone Bad

Kelly had been in a great mood all day. Even though, Connor had asked her out again the night before, the matter didn't concern her. He seemed to be hurt, but okay with it. She had been able to enjoy her school day and enjoy the company of her friends without worrying about work. Now, since Connor seemed to finally get the picture, she was also able to go to work without worrying about what her boss might do.

Cheerfully, she changed into her uniform. Connor had yet to order her a new one, but that didn't bother her today. She put away her things, and was beaming as she entered the dining area. She was gathering her order tickets and tray, when Connor met her at the counter.

"We are short on staff today, so I need you to stay and help me clean afterward," Connor told Kelly in a very businesslike manner as she came into work.

"Ok," Kelly smiled.

"Thanks. I hope your shift goes well today." He gave her a nod, and went along his way.

Kelly was a little shocked that the conversation had been very businesslike, but she was happy that it seemed like they were going to get along as boss and employee now. This was going to be a good day.

The line to be seated was already a long one. She began seating and waiting tables as quickly as she could. She soon realized she was the only waitress there. Connor had told her they were short on staff today, but she didn't think she'd be working alone!

Within twenty minutes, almost every table was full. Kelly had to seat them, wait on them, and bus their tables. Not only was she the only waitress, she was the only staff member besides there besides the chefs!

It was nearly impossible to please all of the customers. There was a line at the door waiting to be seated despite how quickly Kelly was trying to clean the tables. Customers were grumbling that it was taking too long to be served. No matter how hard Kelly worked, she couldn't do every job.

"I want to speak to the manager of this place!" voices began to say.

"This is ridiculous!" others grumbled.

The customers were soon granted their wish. Connor came into the dining room with an appraising expression. Kelly kept working as quickly as she could, hoping he wouldn't be to critically considering she was the only one who showed up to work this shift on the busiest night of the week.

Soon, Connor approached her. "You clean the tables, and I'll seat the people waiting." Smiling, Kelly followed the orders happy for some help. Before long, everyone was seated.

Then, Kelly began waiting on half the tables, Connor on the other half. Slowly, every customer was satisfied. Connor looked at Kelly, and Kelly grinned. She wanted him to know she appreciated his help.

The clock finally hit nine o' clock, and Kelly's shift was over. Her feet were killing her. She plopped down in a chair, pulled off a shoe, and began rubbing her foot.

Connor approached her table with a sly grin. "Don't get too comfortable. We've still got to clean up. Then, we can get as comfortable as we like." Unsure of how to take the comment, Kelly smiled slightly and slid her shoe on. She began gathering the remaining dirty dishes. Connor followed closely behind, straightening the chairs.

With an arm full of dishes, Kelly pushed through the kitchen door. She carefully put the dishes onto the counter. "I think the place is clean enough," Connor whispered behind her, leaning toward her ear. Startled by his presence, Kelly spun to face him. A crooked smile crossed his lips, and he placed one hand on each side of her trapping her between him and the counter.

"I… I need to get the rest of the dishes," she stammered.

"Relax, Kelly," he coaxed, "No one is going to catch us the restaurant is closed." He leaned forward to kiss her, but she leaned backward into the counter, knocking over some glasses.

Startled by the crash, Connor jumped back. Kelly walked quickly out of the kitchen and into the dining room, but Connor was right behind her. He grabbed her arm, spinning her around. Kelly saw a grin spread across his face.

"Stop playing hard to get, Kel," he spoke gently brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I'm not playing hard to get! I'm not interested," she said firmly pulling away from his grasp.

Connor's face flushed and his expression went cold. He put his hands in his pockets and just stood there staring at Kelly. Kelly turned away and headed for the front door.

"Walk out and you can kiss this job goodbye, Miss Kapowski!" He yelled.

Kelly tightened her fists and turned on her heel. Her teeth were clenched as she faced a smirking Connor. She took a deep breath and unclenched her fists. "You can't fire me because of this," she tried be calm, but her voice was a little shrill.

"Try me," he dared her. "Kelly, you're performance was very unprofessional today. Customers were complaining, you just weren't able to do the job. Now, you've broken dishes after hours."

"I did the best I could," she defended, "No one could've worked all of those tables alone!"

"You're right," he said calmly not looking at her, "And I wouldn't have given the others the night off, and you such an impossible work load if," then, he stopped. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Are you saying you set me up to be fired?" her voice escalated. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"What I am saying is you made some very poor career moves. Had you done a few things differently, today's shift could have been much easier. Instead, you couldn't cut it, and I had to step in."

"And I thought you were being nice," she whispered. She'd never met such a creep in her life. Suddenly, Kelly felt bold, "I could tell everyone the truth—that you came on to me, and I said no. That's the real reason you're firing me."

Connor shook his head with the same disapproval a parent would give a child who lied about stealing cookies from the cookie jar. "No, you came on to me Kelly. Always smiling at me, wearing that uniform, you wanted me to make a move. Even now, knowing that I wanted to be alone with you, you stayed anyway."

Kelly couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I smile all of the time! That doesn't mean anything. And this was the only uniform you had… I asked for a new one! And I never would have stayed if I would have known…" her voice trailed off. Maybe she had done something wrong.

"Do you honestly think anyone is going to believe you, Kelly? The most eligible bachelor had to use his power to blackmail a poor, teenage waitress to go out with him," he jeered. "Now, you made a lot of money this week in tips alone. Can you really afford to walk out that door and lose it all?"

Her eyes began to sting as she held back tears. The lump in her throat was so big she could hardly speak, but she somehow managed to summon enough willpower to hold her head up high and look Connor straight in the eyes and speak one word, "Yes."

She turned and quickly walked out the door, never looking back. Then, she ran through the parking lot to her car. Her eyes burned and her vision got cloudy. She crawled into the seat of her car and slammed the door. Then, she laid her head on the steering wheel and cried.


	9. Scene 9: Why Me, Kel?

She pulled into Zack's driveway and had second thoughts. She almost turned around, but it was too late. The porch light came on, and she knew she couldn't turn back. She tried her best to check her face for any signs of tears, but the lighting was too dim. Slowly, she got out of the car, and made her way up the sidewalk.

When she reached Zack's door, she didn't have to knock. The door opened, "Hey, Kelly," he welcomed before even getting a glimpse of her.

"How did you know it was me?" she asked.

"I recognized the sound of your parent's car." When Kelly looked at him quizzically, he quickly added, "They took us on a lot of dates," and shrugged.

The corner of Kelly's mouth lifted into a small smile.

Zack closed the door behind her, then, he noticed her eyes were red and her mascara was slightly smeared. "Is everything ok?" Zack asked concerned.

"I just had a hard day at work." Kelly tried to smile, but it turned into a frown despite her best efforts. She took a deep breath, and then asked, "Can we go for a walk? I need to blow off some steam."

"Sure," Zack replied.

Then, she paused for a moment. "Will your parents mind?"

Zack thought for a moment. "Mmm… probably," he gave her a coy grin.

Kelly couldn't help but chuckle.

They walked two blocks with no sounds, but the passing cars. Zack glanced over at Kelly several times, each time she was looking straight ahead intently with both arms crossed tightly. He shoved his hands into his pockets to fight the urge of reaching for her hand.

"We should probably head back," Zack told her. "It is a school night you know," he joked. He didn't really care about the time, but he figured Kelly's parents would.

Kelly nodded. As they turned, she linked her arm through Zack's. The right corner of his mouth lifted.

He broke the silence. "So did you just drop by to exercise?" he asked with a half smile.

She smiled weakly at him. "I don't know," she replied gazing at the sidewalk in front of her as they walked. "I just had a hard day and… needed a friend."

Zack pondered her words for a moment. Jessie lived right next door to him; she was always willing to help or talk. Kelly told Jessie everything. Lisa lived even closer to Kelly than he did, and usually Kelly confided in her. Yet, here she was with him. "Why me, Kel?" he asked softly. "Why didn't you go to Lisa or Jessie?"

"You're the first person that I thought of." She didn't know why she thought of him over her two best friends. She couldn't explain it. That was the only reason she could give him, and he seemed content with leaving it at that.


	10. Scene 10: Big Mouths and Bigger Hearts

The next day at school, Kelly spotted Lisa at her locker. Lisa was applying lipstick in her locker mirror.

"Hey, Lisa," Kelly greeted. She hadn't seen Lisa all week, and had been getting home too late to call.

"Hi, Kelly," Lisa replied between puckers. She spun around and faced Kelly. "So, what did you think about Connor? I warned you he was gorgeous. Was I right or was I right?"

"You were right," Kelly said with no enthusiasm.

"Why are you saying that like you're talking about Screech?" Lisa asked putting her hands on her hips. "Any girl would be excited to work with Connor Black. He is _the_ definition of fine! Tall, dark--"

"You rang?" Screech goofily asked putting his arm around Lisa. Lisa rolled her eyes.

"I said tall and dark-- not a tall dork!" She elbowed him. Screech held his stomach.

"I'm talking about Kelly's new boss," Lisa informed him.

"Ah," Screech nodded.

"He is a handsome, college man—not to mention rich," Lisa added raising her eyebrows up and down.

About that time, Zack joined the trio. "Hey, guys!"

"Hey, Zack," Screech greeted him. "Lisa was just telling us about Kelly's rich, good looking boss," he said catching Zack up.

"He seemed like a nice guy when I talked to him," Zack shrugged.

"When did you talk to him, Zack?" Kelly asked. She knew Connor had stopped by their table at the restaurant, but too briefly for Zack to have any type of conversation.

"When you applied for the job, I ran into him outside the restaurant. I put in a good word for you," he grinned and winked.

Kelly smiled faintly.

"Thanks to you, Kelly is working with the most eligible hunk in Palisades!" Lisa smiled moving her eyebrows up and down.

"Lisa, I already told you. I'm not interested in Connor. He's_ just_ my boss," Kelly reminded her slightly annoyed. _Or was_, she thought.

Lisa shrugged, "Well, I know every girl in the country club wishes they were in your shoes," she said flatly studying her nail polish. "Besides, we all know how much you stick to your boss being _just _your boss." Lisa's eyes widened in shock after she spoke. She hadn't meant for that last comment to slip.

Kelly stepped back narrowing her eyes, "What is that supposed to mean?" she asked defensively.

"She means the last boss you had you liked so much you dumped Zack for him!" Screech told her. Then, he immediately clasped his hand over his mouth with regret.

Kelly clenched her teeth, made a fist, and stepped toward Screech.

Screech ducked behind Lisa, chewing his nails. "Don't blame me! I'm just the interpreter!" he exclaimed.

Zack grabbed Kelly's wrist. "Enough!" he demanded coolly. Kelly crossed her arms and leaned against the lockers. Screech came out from behind Lisa. Lisa looked down at the floor. Zack raked a hand through his blond hair. "What's the matter with you guys?"

Kelly didn't speak. She didn't feel like talking to anyone anymore. The conversation hit every nerve. Had she really led Connor on by being too friendly? Victoria had thought so. Even her best friends thought she was too friendly with her bosses. She was angry at Lisa for making such a rude comment, angry at Connor for firing her because she wouldn't accept his advances, and angry at herself because all of this was probably her own fault!

"I've got to go to class," Kelly dismissed herself even though the bell hadn't rang. Zack looked from her to Lisa desperately trying to find a way to mend things.

"I'm sorry, Kelly," Lisa apologized in a whisper. "I didn't' mean…" she reached for Kelly's hand, but Kelly jerked away and stalked off.

Slater and Jessie joined Lisa, Screech, and Zack just in time to see Kelly leave. "Where's she going?" Slater asked. "The bell doesn't ring for another fifteen minutes."

Zack scowled at Lisa and Screech. "Thanks to the Two Mouth-sketeers over here, Kelly's not talking to us! I think Jaws had an easier time keeping his mouth closed!"

Jessie and Slater looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

"Gee, Zack. We already feel bad enough," Screech replied ruefully.

Zack threw his head back and let out a big sigh as he rubbed his brow. He realized Screech and Lisa were genuinely sorry for what they had said. Sure they had big mouths, but they also had big hearts. "I know. I'm sorry I yelled at you. It's just that seeing Kelly so angry made me angry too."

He stood up straighter and looked around at the gang. "She's been really touchy about this new job of hers. Last night she showed up at my house after work, and she'd been crying. I don't want to see her feeling any worse."

"Why was she crying?" Jessie asked concerned.

"She told me she had a hard day at work," he explained.

"And?" Lisa asked digging for more information.

"That's it," Zack replied. "She didn't tell me anymore."

"Weren't you the least bit curious of what made her day so bad?" Jessie asked.

"Of course I was!" Zack defended. "I walked with her for half an hour hoping to find out some details, but she just wouldn't talk! Look, I want her to want to talk to me. I don't want to scare her away by coming off as too nosy."

"Sorry, Zack," Lisa sympathized.

"Yeah, Preppy, it's not your fault that Kelly is keeping something from all of us," Slater comforted.

"You were right not to ask too many questions," Jessie added. "If it's a touchy subject, Kelly would've clammed up."

The gang stood in a circle in deep thought. After being silent for awhile, Screech spoke up, "If you ask me, it seems like it has to do with her boss."

"Yeah, that's what made her storm off," Lisa agreed.

"Well, Kelly, did complain to us about her boss after her first day at work," Jessie told them, motioning between her and Zack.

Zack thought for a moment. "But when we went to see her at work the next day, you asked her if things were going better. She said they were going great."

Lisa waved her arms desperately, "You can't think of anything else?"

Zack snapped his fingers. "Victoria! Kelly got snubbed by a customer named Victoria a couple of times. She even joked about Victoria getting kicked out of the country club. For Kelly, that's showing extreme dislike."

Lisa, Screech, Slater, and Jessie nodded in agreement.

"I bet Victoria said or did something last night that upset Kelly. She was probably too embarrassed to tell me, or…" his voice trailed off.

"Or?!" Jessie and Lisa chimed.

"Or, she didn't want me to think any worse of Victoria than I already did." Zack told them a little embarrassed.

"Why would she care what you thought of Victoria?" Slater shrugged.

"Because," he hesitated, "She wouldn't want me to break my date with her," he explained almost inaudibly.

Slater pretended to clean out his ear. Screech looked up at the ceiling quizzically. Lisa's face scrunched in disbelief. "Did I just hear you say _DATE_?" she asked.

Zack nodded uneasily.

"Then, by 'her' you must mean Kelly?" Jessie questioned hopefully.

Zack shook his head avoiding her eyes.

"You're going out with Kelly's enemy?!" Lisa yelled lunging toward Zack.

"Oh, good move, Preppy!" Slater said giving Zack a fake applause.

"And you called me lame brained!" Screech told him rolling his eyes.

"I never called you lame brained," Zack corrected him shaking his head in annoyance, "I called you big mouthed. Can I at least explain myself?" Zack asked desperately. "Her father needs an intern. He's a CEO for huge company in Los Angeles. Working for him would look great on my resume. Victoria said she would introduce me." He waved one hand in the air, "It's not really a date-- it's more like a meeting. Besides I asked for Kelly's permission."

"You're disgusting," Lisa said flatly.

"How is that disgusting?" Zack asked in a high pitched voice.

"By putting Kelly on the spot like that! Of course she's going to say yes! We're talking about Kelly!" Jessie exclaimed.

Slater walked toward Zack and put a hand on his shoulder. "Let's put it this way, if Kelly thought chicken pox had feelings, she wouldn't scratch them." Then, he slapped Zack on the back.

Zack looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Then, he shook his head.

"If she thought she would hurt your feelings or your chances at a brighter future, Kelly wouldn't tell you no—" Jessie began.

"Even if you were going out with Darth Vader's kid sister," Lisa finished.

"Hey, there might be some good in her!" Screech added pointing one finger in the air. Lisa rolled her eyes.

"It still doesn't make sense. Why would Lisa's and Screech's comment about her boss make her so angry if she was upset over something Victoria did?" Slater asked.

"Maybe it was the straw that broke the camel's back," Jessie reasoned.

"Maybe," Zack replied thoughtfully, "Or maybe not. I think there is a way to get to the bottom of what is bugging Kelly, and Victoria just might be the key to get us there."

"Oh, yeah, and how's that, Preppy?"

"Well, if it's Victoria who upset her, I'll find out easily. If it's something else, I'll find out because we'll be eating at the country club—"

"You'll be there while Kelly's on duty," Slater interrupted pointing a gotcha sign at Zack.

"Which means you can watch Kelly closely," Lisa added.

"What better way to find the root of the problem than to visit the environment in which the problem exists?" Jessie asked rhetorically. She gave a final nod of confidence.

She glanced over at Screech to see if he had anything else to add. He was looking at his watch and scratching his head. "Does anyone know if the bell rang?"


	11. Scene 11: Stall, Stall

"Kelly Kapowski." Mr. McGee called taking the roll. He scratched his head for a moment then, looked around the room. "Has anyone seen Kelly? It's not like her to miss class."

Ox shrugged and Pete shook his head. Slater slid lower in his seat and looked around the room nervously, unsure how to respond. He knew Kelly was here, but didn't want to make it look like she was cutting class. He raised his hand slowly.

"Yes, Slater?" Mr. McGee asked.

"Um, I don't think she was feeling very well this morning, sir." He felt good about what he'd said. He hadn't lied. She really wasn't feeling well; he just didn't think telling why she wasn't feeling well was necessary.

"Maybe I should send someone to check on her. Did she go to the nurse?"

"I'd check the ladies room, sir," Slater replied.

"Jessie, would you please go check the ladies room and see if Kelly is alright?" Mr. McGee asked shuffling papers.

"Actually, I don't know if I should… I'd hate to miss a minute of your lecture," she replied nervously propping a hand under her chin.

"But Jessie, you're one of her best friends!" Mr. McGee replied shocked at Jessie's reluctance.

"Yeah, but… I, um," Jessie stammered.

"You see, sir, the problem is Jessie is the last person Kelly wants to see because Jessie is the reason Kelly is feeling bad." Slater lied, coming to Jessie's rescue. _So much for not lying_, he thought.

"That's right. I'm the reason Kelly has whatever it is… she has," Jessie told him with a nervous grin.

Mr. McGee searched the room for a volunteer. "Gina? Heather? Would either of you mind to go check on Kelly?"

"Well, gee, Mr. McGee, I would, but I'm afraid I'll catch something. I've got a date tonight," Heather answered twirling her blonde hair around her finger; her high pitched voice squeaking.

"Same here," Gina replied in a low tone. She smiled at Mr. McGee as she chewed her gum.

Mr. McGee shook his head and threw up his hands in defeat. "Fine. Fine! I'll just let Mr. Belding know that Miss Kapowski isn't feeling well. Maybe he can get more cooperation than I can! Can someone please go tell him now?"

Slater, Jessie, Gina, and Heather all jumped up from their desks. Mr. McGee raised an eyebrow at them.

"I only need one student to go," he reminded.

Gina and Heather slid back into their seats. Jessie and Slater exchanged glances and shrugs.

"You go ahead, Slater," Jessie motioned, "You're usually absent in mind, might as well be absent in body." She smoothed her pants as she sat back down at her desk.

Slater crinkled his brow and frowned at her. Jessie was too busy organizing her book and paper to receive his dirty look.

As soon as Slater left the classroom and entered the hallway he ran into Zack. He lost his balance and took a few steps backward. Zack took a few steps forward almost falling.

"Sorry, preppy. I didn't see you."

"Yeah, the hall is so crowded, I could see how you could miss me," Zack rolled his eyes.

"You haven't seen Kelly have you?" They both said simultaneously.

"No." They answered in unison again.

"That's why I'm here. I'm supposed to be tell Mr. Belding that she is feeling too bad to come to class," Slater added shoving his hands into his pockets and swaying."Why were you standing right behind the door anyway?"

"I told Mrs. Colepepper I grabbed the wrong book and needed to get my other one. I had the right one, but she couldn't tell the difference. Actually, she thought I was Screech. If she would've known it was me asking she would have never agreed."

Slater nodded in agreement. Mrs. Colepepper might be blind, but when it came to Zack's schemes, even she could see through him—well, when she recognized him. "So, you were eavesdropping on Mr. McGee's class? You must be bored, preppy."

"I had to know if Kelly was in class," Zack answered.

"Well, she's not, and I'm on my way to tell Belding that now."

"Hold him off a for a bit. I'm going to see if I can talk to her." Zack waved a finger.

"Ok, preppy, but where are you going to find her to talk?"

"Where every girl goes in times of emotional despair—the girl's room," Zack pointed at Slater and cocked and eyebrow. Then, he hurried to the girl's room.

He'd been in the girl's locker room before, but the bath room was new territory. He looked right, then, left before knocking. "Kelly," he tried with a loud whisper.

Nothing.

"Kelly!" He called louder. "Listen, I know you're in there. If you don't answer me, I'm coming in," then, he paused raising his eyebrows. "Why does that sound so familiar?" he asked himself.

Checking the hall one more time, he glanced in both directions, then, slipped through the door.

He stood silently for a moment. Then, he heard sniffles coming from the second stall. Slowly, he walked up to the stall, leaned the right side of his body on the door, and knocked.

"I'll be out in just a minute," Kelly's voice tried to hide her crying.

"It's me," he answered.

"Zack!" Her voice was panicked. "What are you doing in here?"

"I came to check on you," he said tenderly through the stall door. "I knew that you were upset and wanted to make sure you were ok."

Kelly stepped closer, her pink shoes peeking out from under the stall door. She leaned against the other side of the door. "You really need to get out of here. If anyone catches you—"

"Kelly, I don't care what happens to me—" Zack stopped suddenly when he heard a firm knock on the door. "Ok, so maybe I care a little bit," he said pressing himself closer to the stall door.

"Kelly, are you in there?" It was Mr. Belding. Slater hadn't been able to hold him off.

"Go ahead and answer him," Zack whispered. "If he thinks you're in here, he probably won't come inside."

"Yes, Mr. Belding," she replied loudly.

The door opened wide enough for Mr. Belding's face to peek through. Zack's mouth dropped open. He pressed his back to the stall door and stood on his tiptoes in attempt to blend in with the stalls.

"Kelly, I'm coming in," Zack told her.

"It's locked," she whispered.

Desperate, Zack opened the third stall door as quietly as possible and disappeared inside. Then, he crawled under the divider into the stall with Kelly. Not expecting him, she started to gasp. He slipped his hand over her mouth.

"Sorry, but Belding has the door open." Zack apologized taking his hand off her mouth.

"How are you going to get out of here? We're dead," Kelly whined wringing her hands.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear through the door," Mr. Belding said holding his eyes shut tightly. "Is Kelly Kapowski in here?"

"You've got to go out there, Kelly. I'll slip out while he is distracted by you. I'll see you at work this evening." His face was charmingly assuring. Her worried expression faded to a sad one.

"Yeah, about that…" Kelly started to tell Zack the story, but this was not the place or time. She just unlocked the stall and slipped out.

"I'm here, Mr. Belding. Do you need to see me?" She pushed the bath room door open, and stepped into the hall. It swung back and forth quickly as Mr. Belding gladly let it go and opened his eyes again.

Zack quietly slipped out of the stall, and listened through the other side of the bath room door for his opportunity to escape.

"I was told that you missed class because you weren't feeling well. I, I was just checking to make sure you were alright." He said giving her a friendly pat on the arm.

"Well, Mr. Belding, I'm not feeling well. I think I might need to go home." Kelly walked to the other side of Mr. Belding allowing his back to turn toward the bathroom door.

Zack peeked out from behind the door. Just as he did Mr. Belding, turned back around, "Well, if you need to go home—"

Kelly grabbed his arms and pulled him around to face her. His chin dropped back and his eyes widened. "I do."

Zack slipped out quickly from the bathroom and began walking in the opposite direction. Mr. Belding began to turn toward him. "What I was going to say was let's go to my office, and I can call your parents."

Kelly slid between him and Zack hoping to hide Zack from his field of vision. "Ok, which way?" she asked.

Mr. Belding looked at her puzzled. "You know which way it is to my office, Kelly. You must not be feeling well. Let's go." They both turned in Zack's direction toward Mr. Belding's office.

"Zack, what are you doing out of class?" Mr. Belding asked causing Zack to stop and pivot toward him starting to walk toward Kelly and Mr. Belding.

"Me? I'm just, uh…" he waved his right hand in the air in attempt to think of something as Mr. Belding raised his eyebrows and waited for a farfetched excuse.

"I had asked him if he could take me home because I wasn't feeling well," Kelly fibbed.

Zack folded his arms and added, "With your permission of course, and that's where I was headed—to your office."

"Ah ha, I see," Mr. Belding nodded. "Well, I don't know if that's such a good idea." Zack and Kelly nodded in agreement. "I'll just call Kelly's parents. Now, Kelly, you come with me. And Zack, you get back to class."

"Yes, sir." Zack nodded. He turned one last time to Kelly only to see the same glum expression he had seen earlier. Whatever the cause of Kelly's disappearing smile, he would get to the bottom of it tonight.


	12. Scene 12: The Truth

As Zack approached the door to the country club restaurant, he checked his reflection in the glass. He quickly straightened his tie, adjusted his suit coat, and stood up straight. As he looked past his reflection and glimpsed in to the crowded restaurant, he released his breath and slouched a bit.

He had felt a lot more professional when he had worn this suit the first time as student principal. "I look like a participant in a Richie Rich look-a-like contest." Slowly, he pushed open the door and quickly scanned the room for Kelly, but had no luck. Then, he looked for Victoria and her father. Victoria's red hair stood out immediately. He noticed she was sitting at a table for four, but was alone. She was looking through one menu and another lay on the table. Zack assumed her father must be socializing or in the rest room.

As he began to make his way toward her, a petite girl about his age with jet black hair blocked his path. Zack almost tripped over her, but caught himself on the back of a blue haired, old lady's chair. The woman turned toward him, mouth gaping in surprise.

"I'm so sorry," Zack told the old lady, putting a hand on his chest. He spun to face the black haired girl and began to apologize, but she interrupted.

"The sign says 'Please wait to be seated' for a reason," she smirked as she straightened out her waitress uniform.

"I've never been one to follow the rules," Zack replied coyly. His confidence was returning now that a girl was involved. "Actually, the people I'm here to meet are already seated," he pointed to Victoria's table, "I was just heading over to join them."

The girl's smile faded after realizing he was meeting with Victoria. "What's the matter is that out of your tipping range?" he kidded. "I can leave a tip with your name on it if you like. I do that for my friend all of the time."

The waitress gave him a lopsided grin and shook her head. "Must be a good friend. What's her name?"

"Kelly Kapowski. Have you met her?"

"Hmm… I'm not sure. I'm new here so I could've met her, but just don't reme—"

"If you met her you'd know," Zack assured her. "She's kind of hard to forget." His tone was playful, yet underlined with seriousness.

"You sound like you speak from experience," the waitress said, studying him.

"You could say that," scratched his head and replied with a little embarrassment in his voice. This girl was a little too insightful for comfort.

"Well, I hope I can meet this good friend of yours soon," the waitress said, "I could use a friend around here. It's my first day and these people aren't the most welcoming," she glanced in Victoria's direction.

"She should be working tonight. She's new here too. She just started working this week," Zack informed.

The girl's forehead scrunched in thought. "The only ones working tonight are Monica and me."

"Oh," Zack said with a confused look. "This plans not going to work," he mumbled in a sing song voice. He waved goodbye and headed toward Victoria's table.

She had been watching him closely, lips forming a tight line as he had chatted with the waitress. When he reached her table, she gave him a flirtatious smile and patted the seat next to her. "Must you be on friendly terms with all the waitresses?" she joked, but the disapproval was extremely clear.

Zack took a seat across from her ignoring her comment. She narrowed her eyes, insulted that he didn't take the seat next to her. Quickly, he began to make small talk. "So, Victoria, tell me about yourself."

Victoria's face brightened clearly pleased that the subject was about someone she loved- herself. She began to tell him about her day with her private tutor, then, her tennis lessons by a former Wimbledon champ. Zack forced himself to keep smiling and nodding. Somewhere between her weekly pedicure and her third Ferari, Zack's thoughts drifted to Kelly. Why wasn't she here? Was she so upset that she didn't show up to work?

Noticing she was losing his attention, Victoria began to fill him in on all of the latest gossip. She talked about her classmates, her father's employees, and even some of his neighbors. Zack was wishing he was anywhere else. Lisa was a gossip, but she was never hurtful or cruel about it. He couldn't believe how much joy Victoria took in tearing others down. If Victoria was anything like her father, maybe he didn't want to work for him no matter how successful.

Antsy to change the subject, Zack interrupted, "So, where's your father?"

Victoria's cheeks turned a little red, and she nervously pushed a lock of scarlet hair behind her ear. "Um… about that… you see, he called me just a few minutes before you showed up. Something came up at the office, and he couldn't make it tonight."

Zack's eyes widened in surprise. He'd been sitting here with this spoiled girl for over twenty minutes for nothing?

"Please don't be mad. He told me to give him a recommendation of you anyway," she reached over and put her hand on his.

Zack didn't know whether to believe her. "Does your father really have an internship at his company?" He asked with an edge to his voice.

Victoria's eyes narrowed and she pulled her hand away. "Of course, he does," she answered sharply.

"Then, why has he never tried to contact me, it's always you."

"Daddy is busy." She crossed her arms defensively.

"So, this isn't a plan to get me to go out with you?"

"Of course not. Why would I have to scheme to get _you_ to go out on a date with _me_?" her voice was icy.

"Ok, then," Zack felt uncomfortable and his eyes floated around the room.

Victoria, still upset, noticed and asked bitterly, "Which waitress are you looking for this time?" Then, she rolled her eyes and said flatly, "If you're looking for your little girlfriend, you won't find her."

"What do you mean?" Zack asked confused.

"I mean, she's not here tonight, and she won't be here any other night either. She was fired." Victoria said smugly. "Serves her right the way she acted around my brother."

Zack mumbled a response, "You're brother?"

"Yes, my brother, Connor. You know, the manager here. He said your friend, Kimberly—"

"Kelly." Zack corrected harshly.

"_Kelly_ was way too friendly. She smiled at him constantly. She was always trying to be close to him. She acted like the only way to keep her job was to flirt with him. She even asked him on dates a few times. How unprofessional is that?" She swept her long red hair off of her shoulders and stared at Zack almost daring a response.

"There has to be some kind of mistake," he began, "Yes, Kelly is friendly, but she is not a flirt. Nothing that you said could be true. Kelly's not like that."

"I'm sorry, Zack. But you are just going to have to face the facts," she folded her hands and propped her chin with them. "Maybe she just isn't the girl you thought she was. Connor said she was desperate for money. Some people will do anything—"

"This isn't right, Victoria. She told me that he tried that stuff with her. I know Kelly didn't deserve to be fired." Zack's voice was almost begging.

"If that's what you want to believe, Zack. That's fine. Just remember, my family owns this country club, and most of Palisades. When it comes down to it, you'll probably be the only one that will believe _Kelsey_," she emphasized the name to show Zack she said the wrong name intentionally. "No one is going to believe my brother tried to force a girl to go out with him. He's rich, handsome, and most girls would die for a chance—especially poor ones."

"Alright! That's enough! I'm not going to listen to this! I've known Kelly for way too long to doubt her. She's a good person. She wouldn't do anything that your brother has accused her of!" Zack was standing up now. He looked around and noticed people staring at him. He lowered his voice and bent over the table toward Victoria. "She may not have money, but she doesn't need it to buy friends. She doesn't have coattails to ride on, so she can't use her father's success to get dates. She doesn't have to build herself up by tearing others down. She's not like most girls. She is better than most girls—especially one I see right now."

Victoria's face was stone and her cheeks were flushed. She was definitely embarrassed, but she was not about to give Zack the victory. Zack pulled out his wallet and laid some money onto the table to pay for the bill. Then, he turned from the table and stalked out the door.


	13. Scene 13: The Window Out

"How could I be so stupid?" Zack put one hand on his brow as he paced the floor. "She was wanting help, and I laughed her off!" His hand that was on his brow was now circling through the air. He threw off his suit coat and plopped harshly onto the sofa next to Jessie holding his head in his hands.

Jessie put her hand on his back gently. "Zack, you're being too hard on yourself. You couldn't—"

His brow furrowed in aggravation as he jumped up from the sofa causing her hand to fall to the seat cushion. "Yes, Jessie, I could've," the somberness of his voice washed across his face.

Jessie stood up and crossed her arms. Her eyes narrowed, "Look, Zack, you aren't the only one angry here. I pride myself with taking a stance on issues like this, but when my friend is in trouble, I… I," her chin began to quiver; her gaze turned to away from Zack out her window in a feeble effort to hold back her tears.

"I've got to talk to her." It wasn't a reply, but a reaction.

Still gazing out her window, Jessie nodded in agreement as she sniffled and wiped her eyes. "You don't think her boss," she choked on the last few words unable to finish her thought.

Zack shook his head. "No, he wouldn't have fired her if he would've gotten what he wanted." At first he was confident of this, but a sinking feeling came over him as he thought that Mr. Black might be disgusting enough to fire her even if he did get what he wanted. Yet, his answer was convincing enough to keep Jessie from bursting into sobs.

"Don't tell anyone anything yet, Jessie. Promise me. Not until I talk to Kelly about it."

She nodded, still sniffling.

"Promise me," he repeated again drawing closer, trying to make eye contact.

She turned to meet his gaze, her eyes brimmed with tears. "Yeah. I promise," she managed to say.

He thought about giving her a hug goodbye, but was afraid she would break down.

"Take the window," Jessie instructed. "Mom will wonder why you're wearing a suit."

"Even with a lump in your throat you can give orders," Zack joked trying to lighten the mood before he left.

Jessie laughed and sniffled as she watched Zack disappear out her window.


	14. Scene 14: I Tried

Both the Kapowski's cars were gone from the driveway when Zack arrived. "Please be home," he muttered under his breath. There was a chance that Kelly could still be home and her parents or her older brothers were gone.

He rushed up the front steps and rang the doorbell. No answer.

He tried a second time. No answer.

Bouncing impatiently on the balls of his feet, he sighed and pushed the door bell one last time.

As soon as he turned to head back to his car, the dead bolt turned causing him to spin around quickly. He caught a glimpse of Kelly as she door opened. As soon as she saw him, her eyes widened.

"Zack," she greeted quietly. She could tell by the look on his face that he wanted to talk about something serious. Instinctively, she began to close the door. "This isn't really a good time. I've not been feeling well…"

Zack put his hand on the door holding it open. "Kelly," his voice was gentle with an air of desperateness. "Please, just talk to me."

"I tried to," her voice was barely audible.

Zack had realized this before, but hearing it come from her lips broke his heart. He pushed himself through the door. "I know," he whispered as he put his arms around her and pulled her into a full embrace. "I'm so sorry." He kissed her head lightly.

She shifted all of her weight onto Zack as she sobbed uncontrollably into his chest. For the first time in a week, Kelly felt safe.


	15. Scene 15: I'm Not Going To Leave You

Kelly was wrapped up in a throw on one end of the couch, while Zack sat on the other end trying to look relaxed, but wasn't succeeding. He rustled about on the couch switching positions trying to make himself comfortable.

"This feels like it's been the longest week of my life," Kelly sniffled. "I mean, with my family gone for a few days, my job," her voice trailed off. "What's worse is that I may not have any good recommendations anymore because of being fired."

"Your boss is going to have to fess up to what he did. He can't fire you for… for what he fired you for," Zack scratched his head nervously avoiding the words.

"What am I going to do about it? It's his word against mine, and with his family's influence, I'll just be a laughing stock or worse. You heard Lisa's babbling, girls think that no one in her right mind would turn down a date with Connor Black," she rubbed her hands together trying to comfort herself.

"There has to be something we can do. I'm going to call Jessie. She probably knows some textbook law stuff that could help us out," he started to get up from the couch, when Kelly leaned across and grabbed his arm.

"Zack," she said with a soft, but stern voice. "You don't get it. I don't want to fight him. I just want to forget about it and move on. " Her eyes were bubbling with tears, but she kept her jaw strong and fought them back. "Besides, nothing happened. Maybe we're making it a bigger deal than it is," she was sitting closer to him now, turning her head away not facing him.

Zack stared at her unable to believe what he was hearing. He shook his head trying to make sense of what she was saying, "Kelly, do you even hear yourself? Everything you've told me he did—"

"Tried, not did, tried," she interrupted.

"Excuse me. I'll make sure to choose my words more carefully so Mr. Black sounds more like a gentleman," Zack's voice rose in anger. "Is that what you want? All of Palisades to believe that he is a good guy, and you're just some bimbo?"

"I think you should leave," Kelly told him motionless.

"Kelly," Zack softened, "Look, I didn't mean to—" he reached his hand to her shoulder, but she shrugged it off.

She stood up from the couch and headed for the stairs. "Go, Zack," Kelly choked.

Zack started toward the door, then, stopped. "No," he said quietly. "I'm not going to leave you."

Kelly looked back over her shoulder. "This is my house, and I want you to leave!"

"How come _that's_ so easy?" Zack asked her.

"What?" Kelly asked confused and upset as she turned to face him.

He stepped closer to the staircase. "You have no trouble standing up to _me_ telling _me_ to get lost, or calling me a jerk when I deserve it - or even when I don't! Here I am trying to help you, and you take the side of someone who tried to hurt you?"

"I'm not taking his side!" she defended.

"You are because you aren't going to do anything to stop him!" Zack said moving in close to her.

"There is no way that I can stop him! He planned a way out for himself! He made it look like I couldn't do the job… he made it look like it's my fault! And the more I think about it, the more I start believing it actually was." A tear fell down her cheek as she crossed her arms and stared at the floor.

"But it's not your fault," Zack said softly.

"He was right. I should have known better than to stay after work."

"Then, he would have just fired you earlier!"

"You said yourself that it's normal for a guy to hit on a pretty girl!"

"He didn't hit on you he black mailed you!"

"Zack, this isn't something that can be fixed with one of your little schemes! It's over. I was stupid, and I want to forget about it."

"You are not stupid! You're smart and nice, and you're innocent… and you do the right thing… and you're beautiful. And seeing you like this drives me crazy!" He was face to face with her. Their eyes were locked as the leaned toward one another. "Kel, you can't be selfish. You may want to ignore it, but if you do, he's going to hurt other people. You have the power to stop him."

"Zack, I'm scared," Kelly whispered.

"You don't have to do it alone," he whispered back.


	16. Scene 16: The Counter

Kelly's hands were shaking as she approached the door of the country club. It was dusk and the restaurant was closed. The last thing she wanted to do was face Connor in a dark and empty restaurant, but she had to. She pulled her coat tight around her to ward off her eerie chill bumps.

"Mr. Black!" she called out as she opened the door and peeked around. "Mr. Black?" She entered the dining room and looked around.

She jumped when she heard the door open in his office. A girl with black hair, wearing a waitress uniform, hurried down the hall wrapping her arms around her body as if she were cold. Not realizing Kelly was there, she bumped into her.

"Sorry," the girl mumbled taking a quick glance at Kelly, then, looked down quickly to hide her face. Kelly noticed her eyeliner was smeared as if she had been crying.

"Are you ok?" Kelly asked concerned.

"Fine," the waitress faked a smile. "I was just chopping an onion. Makes me tear up."

"After hours?" Kelly asked.

"Midnight snack," the girl wiped her eyes and headed toward the door.

"Wait," Kelly told her reaching toward her. "I think I can help you."

"I told you I'm fine. Now, if you'll excuse me—" the pretty girl scurried toward the door before Kelly had the chance to stop her again.

"You're not alone in this, you know."

The words caused the girl to freeze a moment. One hand on the door knob, she glanced back at Kelly, who offered a sad, yet reassuring attempt at a smile. Then, she disappeared out the door.

"Bold words for someone who can't even help herself out of the situation," a voice snickered.

Kelly jumped at the sound of the familiar taunt. She turned to find Connor reclined against the wall leering at her.

"Did you forget that I fired you, Kapowski?"

Kelly shook her head. She swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to make her voice sound strong, "I came for my check."

Connor laughed, "I'm sorry.," he cleared his throat and took on a more serious tone, "You see, there must be some misunderstanding. You were on probation—a no pay probation—a trial run you might say."

"But I signed a contract-" Kelly protested.

"-which became void when you didn't meet the job requirements," Connor interrupted.

Kelly fought the urge to cry. She thought this might happen, but it still hurt. "I met the job requirements. I was always at work on time. I cleaned tables. I seated guest. I was accurate with the orders. I was always friendly…"

"Yeah, but not quite friendly enough," Connor reminded as he stalked toward her.

"No customer every filed a complaint against me."

"I seem to recall one night customers were complaining right and left," he put a finger to his mouth as he pretended to think.

"Only because you told all of the other staff to take the night off to make my shift harder," she tried to keep her voice calm.

"Maybe. But whose fault was that?" Connor was very close now.

"According to you, it was mine because I wouldn't let you come on to me."

"Like I said, you didn't meet the job requirements," he snickered.

"So you admit it."

Connor shrugged.

Kelly took a deep breath, "I came here to tell you that I'm going to fight this."

Connor raised one eyebrow. "_You_ are going to fight _me_? You can't be serious."

"I've documented everything you said, everything you did, everything you tried to do—"

"Do you really think they'll take your word against mine?"

"Yes."

Connor grabbed Kelly's wrists and pulled her closer to him. Kelly froze in fear and her eyes got wide. "I could have ordered you a new uniform, but I didn't want to," he tightened his grip. "I told everyone on staff to take the night off, so we could be alone after hours-and to make the customers angry at you in case I needed to a reason to fire you, you know, if the evening didn't go as planned."

"Yes, I came on to you, and threatened your job if you said no. I was the flirt and the unprofessional one. You were just naive enough to think it might have been your fault. And honestly, I do owe you a paycheck, but you'll never see it," he ridiculed.

Then, with a somber tone he added, "No one is going to believe you. I've always had a plan to cover my tracks. Just know that for every play you make, I have a counter. Don't try to get smart now."

"Connor," Kelly broke free of his grasp and reached into her coat pocket, "What's your counter for this?" she asked holding up a tape recorder.

Connor clenched his teeth and grabbed for the recorder when Zack burst through the door.

"The restaurant is closed!" Connor warned.

"Maybe permanently thanks to your management," Zack countered. He stepped between Kelly and Connor and nodded for Kelly to head to the door. "If you want that recorder, you'll have to go through me," he challenged.

Connor chuckled, then, swung a fist at Zack. Zack ducked and grabbed Connor's waist throwing him onto a table. Then, he pounded his fist into Connor's mouth.

He shook his fist and stepped back, "That felt good."

Jessie, Lisa, and Slater now stood on Kelly's right. Screech stood on the left holding a big camcorder squinting one eye while watching Zack approach through the viewfinder of the video camera.

. "Wow, Zack!" he cheered. "If we sent this footage to Hollywood you could be the next action hero."

"Yeah, preppy, you must be picking up on some of my moves," Slater grinned.

Zack shook his head holding back a grin and walked over to Kelly. "Are you ok?"

Kelly nodded with a small smile, "Thanks to you."


	17. Scene 17: Kelly's Hero

"With the video footage Screech got of Connor's behavior toward you _and_ his swing at Zack along with the recording of his confesion, there should be no question that he is guilty," Jessie smiled at Kelly. "Plus, you wrote down dates as well as what he did and said, which is very helpful. The only thing that would be better is if we could find other people to testify against him. With him being the new manager, there weren't many waitresses who worked under him—fortunately."

"Yeah, thanks to you, Kelly, no more waitresses will have to," Slater added.

Kelly smiled sheepishly. "

"I just want to tell you that I'm sorry, " Lisa told Kelly squeezing her hand. "Everything that I said… I had no idea," her eyes pleaded.

"Lisa, I forgive you. You didn't know what was going on. You were just being Lisa."

Lisa smiled meekly. "My parents are taking the matter up with the owners, and have spread the word to the other members, too. If the owners don't do something about their son, tons of members will be leaving. Which would mean the country club would have to shut down."

"It's a shame, the country club was such a nice place," Kelly frowned. "With great tips."

"But don't forget the creeps and the snobs," Screech added to cheer her up.

Just then, a pretty girl with black hair strolled toward the gang.

"It's the waitress who replaced me at the country club," Kelly whispered.

The girl stood casually next to where the gang was seated and waved. "Can I talk to you a minute?" she asked Kelly.

"Sure," Kelly said getting up to meet her. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to say thanks. For what you did. I never could have done it."

Kelly nodded. "So, are you looking for a new job?"

"Nah, I'm giving up waitressing. Maybe even jobs altogether. I'm thinking of joining a nunnery actually. They don't need money there… do they?"

Kelly giggled. "Well, if you ever need anything. You know where to find me," she motioned around the room.

The girl smiled and looked over at Zack. "Is that your boyfriend?" she nodded toward him.

"My friend… who's a boy," Kelly answered.

"We'll see," the girl grinned, waved goodbye, and disappeared out the door for the second time.

Kelly returned to her friends who were getting up from their seats.

"Well, Kelly, we hate to eat and run, but we've got to head home," Jessie told her. "I've got a lot of work to do, with my mom's help.

"And, we're all pretty tired. Staying up worrying really cuts into one's beauty sleep," Lisa joked.

"Tell me about it," Screech agreed.

"Some of us need more than others," Slater kidded, patting Screech on the back.

"Yeah, it's about closing time anyway," Kelly told them. "I'll see you all tomorrow?

"Yeah, but not bright and early," Lisa informed.

"Are you coming Zack?" Jessie asked.

"You guys go on without me. I'm going to help Kelly."

"Alright, goodnight," the four told them while making not so subtle pointing motions at the table.

Kelly wrinkled her brows and shook her head as she giggled.

Zack cocked one eyebrow, gave them the ok sign, then motioned for them to go.

"It feels good to be back," Kelly smiled as she soaked in the scenery of the Max. It was empty now that the gang had left and the only sound came from the jukebox. "You know I'm ok alone here?" Kelly asked.

"Well, forgive me for not wanting to rush off and leave you alone after hours in a restaurant anymore," Zack joked.

Kelly giggled.

Zack picked up the plates from the table. He handed them to Kelly who stacked them on her tray. "Looks like there's something here for you," he informed her holding up an envelope.

"To the best waitress in the world," Kelly read as she grinned from ear to ear. She opened it up and found five dollars inside. She shook her head, "I think I'm gonna cry."

"Please, don't, I think you've shed your share of tears for the year," Zack joked.

Kelly smiled as they both continued to pick up plates from the tables, when A-12 came on the jukebox. They both glanced at each other to see if the other noticed. When they caught each others eye, they laughed.

Kelly accused him with a playful face causing Zack to throw up his hands, "Hey, I didn't plan this, my only dollar went in that envelope."

"Well, we both know I'm too broke to buy a jukebox song," Kelly chuckled.

"For old time's sake?" Zack asked offering her his hand.

Kelly put down her tray and put her hand in his. He led her to the open floor in front of the jukebox. Kelly rested her arms on Zack's shoulders as he put his hands on her waist. They swayed back and forth smiling shyly at each other.

"I forgot how much I liked this song," Zack told her.

"Me too," Kelly replied softly.

There was an awkward silence for a moment.

"Kelly," Zack began.

"Zack," Kelly spoke simultaneously.

"You go first," he offered.

"You were my hero."

"_Were_?" he kidded. "Nah, I did what any decent guy would do."

"I was mean to you, and you still helped me. I just wanted to say thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I'm so glad we are friends," she stepped closer and rested her head on his shoulder as they swayed to the music.

"Yeah," Zack spoke softly, his voice lined with a bit of sadness, "me too." He paused, "We're friends." He wasn't sure if that came out as a question or a statement.

"Best friends," Kelly whispered. "What were you going to say?"

"Nothing," Zack lied.

In silence, they both danced until the song faded out.


End file.
